Creel with tubular yarn guide

ABSTRACT

A BUCKETLESS YARN CREEL, OR CARRIER, FOR HOLDING YARN PACKAGES AND GRUIDING THE YARN DURING WITHDRAWAL FROM THE PACKAGES WHEREIN EACH PACKAGE IS MOUNTED ON A HOLDER WHICH HAS A YARN GUIDE TUBE WITH AN ENTRANCE PORTION EXTENDING AXIALLY OF THE HOLDER AND OF A PACKAGE ON THE HOLDER. THE GUIDE TUBE HAS ONE OR MORE BENDS TO CREATE A DIRECTION CHANGE IN TE YARN PATH AND BRING THE YARN INTO FRICTIONAL CONTACT WITH THE TUBE WALL AT THE BEND, TO CREATE A DRAG ON THE YARN TO TENSION TE YARN. THE ENTRANCE PORTION OF THE GUIDE TUBE IS ADJUSTABLE LENGTHWISE TO ADAPT IT TO USE WITH YARN PACKAGES OF DIFFERENT SIZE.   D R A W I N G

y 3, 1972 K. RENZ! 3,664,692

CREEL WITH TUBULAR YARN GUIDE Filed Aug. 25, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR KA'UMEQ. Qemzu May 23, 1972 K. RENZI CREEL WITH TUBULAR YARN GUIDE] 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1970 INVENTOR KAYJMER EENZ.

BY WQ$O1LJ: 'QMU)LQQQJ United States Patent O 3,664,602 CREEL WITH TUBULAR YARN GUIDE Kazimer Renzi, 7601 Fawndale Drive,

Chester-field, Va. 23832 Filed Aug. 25, 1970, Ser. No. 66,730 Int. Cl. B65h 49/02; D02h l/100; D03j 5/08 US. Cl. 242131 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A bucketless yarn creel, or carrier, for holding yarn packages and guiding the yarn during withdrawal from the packages wherein each package is mounted on a holder which has a yarn guide tube with an entrance portion extending axially of the holder and of a package on the holder. The guide tube has one or more bends to create a direction change in the yarn path and bring the yarn into frictional contact with the tube wall at the bend, to create a drag on the yarn to tension the yarn. The entrance portion of the guide tube is adjustable lengthwise to adapt it to use with yarn packages of different size.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improved creel, or carrier, for holding yarn packages, and more particularly to such a creel, or carrier, having package holders with yarn guides in the form of tubes.

Yarn creels and carriers presently in use employ socalled buckets which surround the packages from which yarn is to be drawn. The buckets accommodate only one size package, and, therefore, their use is limited to packages of that particular size. The yarn end is taken from each package and threaded through an eyelet, then through a horseshoe guide and over a fireplug guide to the feed rolls of a drawtwister, drawwinder, beaming, comingling or texturing apparatus, or simply to another package.

Creels of this kind require excessive maintenance to keep them operative, and dirt accumulations in the buckets must be frequently removed. During use, the buckets become nicked and scratched, causing the yarn to catch and snag, resulting in breakage or frayed yarn. The particular guides used, and the threading required, cause uneven control over the balloon formed in the yarn as the yarn is withdrawn from the package, so that erratic feed and uneven tension result.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The general object of the present invention is to provide an improved creel, or carrier, with novel package holders having improved yarn guiding means to facilitate the withdrawal of yarn from the packages.

A more specific object is the provision of a bucketless creel, or carrier, to reduce the maintenance and yarn snagging attendant to the use of buckets.

-Another object is to provide a creel, or carrier, of this type employing a tube coaxial to each package holder to receive and guide yarn drawn from the package.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tubular yarn guide having at least one bend between its entrance and exit ends to cause a direction change in the yarn flight and apply tension to the yarn through frictional contact of the yarn with the tube at the bend.

Yet another object is the provision of a tubular yarn guide which serves to control the balloon in the yarn unwinding from the package to produce a smoother balloon and a more uniform yarn feed to the machine being served.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a creel,

3,664,602 Patented May 23, I972 or carrier, and yarn guide which will accommodate yarn packages of different sizes by a simple adjustment of the yarn guide to increase or decrease its length coaxially of the yarn holder.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of one practical embodiment thereof, when taken in conjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form part of, this specification.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front view of the improved bucketless creel, or carrier incorporating tubular yarn guides with the yarn holders;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

'FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the package holders and its associated yarn guide tube, with a yarn package shown in section on the holder;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 illustrating the holder and the package mounted thereon in end elevation; and

FIG. 5 is a further enlarged section taken on the line 55 of FIG. 3, of that portion of the guide tube which is coaxial to the package holder, illustrating the construction of the adjustable portion of the tube.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings in detail, the improved creel, or carrier, includes a frame 1 having base members 2 and vertical supports 3 secured to the base members. Mounting plates 4 extend horizontally between the supports 3, and are carried by them, to mount package holders 5. Plates 4 are located at two levels to provide an upper row of package holders and a lower row. Several holders may be mounted in horizontally spaced relation on each plate, and the holders project in opposite directions from the central vertical plane of the frame. The holders also incline from the mounting plates in the arrangement which is usual in carriers and creels. Vertical supports 3 have roller carriages 6 at their tops for movement along a conveyor rail (not shown) in order to transport the creels to and from the machine they are to serve.

Package holders 5 are shown as having a circular base 7 which is drilled to receive the free ends of a pair of upper legs 8 and a lower leg 9 which define a skeleton form to fit within the center opening of a conventional yarn package. The several legs of the holder are threaded at their free ends, so that the ends may be inserted through openings in the mounting plates 4 and bolts may be threaded on them to draw the base plate of the holder snugly against the mounting plate and firmly position the holder on the creel. The upper legs 8 are part of a continuous U-shaped rod, the two legs being connected by a continuously cunving forward section 10 of a rod of which the legs form a part. The lower leg 9 is a single rod, but its forward edge is also curved. The curving forward portions of the holder members provide a contour which permits easy application of the packages over the holder. The three legs of the holder are arranged so that they extend rearwardly and through the base 7 at points equally spaced from the center of the base. The base member is drilled at its center, as at 11, to receive a guide tube 12 which forms a passageway for yarn drawn from the package. By this arrangement, the tube 12 will be located coaxially of the package holder 5.

Tube 13 could be a one-piece, continuous member and accomplish the primary object of guiding the yarn drawn from the package and putting tension in that yarn, but for greatest efliciency and ease of mounting, the tube is shown as composed of several parts. These include the main body and tensioning element '13, a mounting sleeve 14', and a telescoping, yarn entrance end section 15.

The mounting sleeve portion of tube 12 consists of a tubular length of material fixedly connected to the lower leg 9 of the package holder, and held so that its axis is in line with the center of the opening 11 in the base plate 7 and centrally with respect to the radial positions of the legs 8 and 9 relative to the center of the base plate 7. This fixes the sleeve coaxially of the holder and, consequently, coaxial to a package which is mounted on the holder. The sleeve is mounted on the holder by cutting away a section of lower leg 9 of suflicient extent to receive the sleeve, and welding the sleeve to the adjacent ends of the remaining portions of the leg. Thus, the sleeve is rigidly held in place with respect to the other members of the package holder. The mounting sleeve projects beyond the point of connection to the lower leg at least as far as the forward edge of the holder. The rear end of the sleeve is threaded as at 16. The threaded portion of the sleeve is reduced in diameter, so that there is a shoulder 18 at the forward edge of the threaded section. The rearmost end of the sleeve is beveled, as at 18, to receive the main body 13 of the tube as will be described.

The main body of the tubing will be made of any suitable material, and will be of suflicient length to extend from the mounting sleeve 14 to the base 2 of the frame 1 of the creel, or carrier, as shown in FIG. 1. The leading end of the tube will flared, as at 19, to abut the bevel edge 18 at the rear of the mounting sleeve 14. A nipple 20 will have an internal bore 21 to provide a sliding fit on the main body 13 of the tubing. The nipple will be recessed at 22 to form an annular pocket in which the flared end 19 of the tube body 13 may seat. The forward end of the internal opening in the nipple is threaded, as at 23, for engagement with the threaded end 16 of the mounting sleeve 14. The nipple 20 will be mounted on the end of the main body portion 13, and it will be brought into engagement with the end of the mounting sleeve and threaded onto that sleeve until the nipple is in abutment with the shoulder 17 and the tflared end 19 of the main tube will be in tight engagement with the bevel 18 on the end of the mounting sleeve. This will firmly join the mounting sleeve to one end of the main tube body 13 and precisely position the tube end coaxially with respect to the mounting sleeve.

The opposite end of the main body portion 13 may be simply flared, or bellcd, outwardly to provide a modified trumpet yarn exit 24. It is not necessary that any particular type of guide be used at the exit end. The tube is merely flared to provide a smooth exit surface in the event the yarn should deviate from a more or less axial passage through the discharge portion of the tube.

The telescoping entrance end section 15 of the tube is composed of a length of tubing 25, of such diameter as to have free sliding movement Within the mounting sleeve 13, and a trumpet guide 26 mounted at the front end of the tubing 25. The trumpet guide may be of any desired material, but it should have a smooth flaring entrance end, and be of a material which will provide for free movement of the yarn without danger of snagging or hanging. Tube 25, as mentioned above, is freely slidable within the mounting sleeve 14, and a set screw 27 is threaded through the sleeve for contact with the tubing to hold the entrance end section in any position of telescoping adjustment within the sleeve 14. This permits the telescoping section to be moved inwardly close to the outer end of the mounting sleeve when small packages are to be used, and to be drawn outwardly and fixed in place when larger packages are to be used. This materially increases the versatilit and usefulness of the improved yarn holder and guide.

Guide tube 12 serves not only as a guide, but may also be used as a means for applying tension to the yarn being fed through the tube. In other words, the tube may be designed to provide a frictional hold on the yarn to maintain a predetermined tension between the yarn within the tube and the feed rolls of the machine with which the creel is being used. The feed rolls are shown diagrammatically at 28, and these represent the first roller couple of a drawtwister, drawwinder, or other machine with which the creel is used.

In order to have the guide tube serve as the yarn tensioning means, the tube is provided with one or more bends 29. By having a bend in the tube, the yarn running through the tube is caused to make a direction change, which brings the yarn into surface contact with the interior of the tube at the bend. This, of course, creates a frictional drag on the yarn. By increasing the number of bends and the extent of angular curvature of the bends, the drag can be increased to obtain any predetermined desired tension upon the yarn. By reducing the number of bends and angle of curvature, the amount of tension can be reduced. It has been found that in using 840 to 1680 denier yarns and having a total bend of 560 in a five foot tubing length from the upper row of package holders and a total bend of 640 in a three foot tubing length from the lower row of package holders that a tension of eight grams is obtained. Thus, by increasing the total degree of bend a shorter tube can be made to provide the same degree of tension as is obtained in a longer tube having less total angle of bend.

In using the apparatus, the telescoping sections of the tube guides of the package holders are adjusted to the proper lengths for the size of yarn package to be used. Conventional yarn packages are then put upon the holders and the yarn ends are held adjacent the trumpet guides 26 of the respective tubes, and the nozzle of a conventional vacuum system is placed against the exit ends 24 of the tube to draw the yarn through the tubing length. This provides a very simple means for threading the yarn ends through the tube guides. The yarn ends are then threaded between the feed rolls 28 of the machine with which the creel is being used. As the rollers 28 of the machine are rotated, the yarn will be drawn through the tubes and off of the packages. As the yarn is taken from the packages through an entrance trumpet which is coaxial of the yarn holder, and therefore of the package, the pull will be a uniform one, resulting in smooth withdrawal of yarn from the package. The fact that the yarn is in frictional engagement with the bends in the tubing, provides a control for the unwinding operation and a smooth and uniform balloon in the unwinding yarn. As there are no buckets over which the yarn must pass, the snagging and catching of the yarn previously encountered no longer occurs. As the yarn is led axially of the package during withdrawal, none of the difiiculties formerly occurring from misalignment of guides will be present. Another advantage of having control of the balloon at the package is the reduction in drag on the bottom front edge of the package sleeve when the package is almost depleted. An improved yield of approximately 1% was found When equipment with conventional guides, such as horseshoe and fireplug guides, was converted to the tube guide of the present invention.

While in the above one practical embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that the details of construction shown and described are merely by way of illustration, and the invention may take other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A yarn creel having means for holding a yarn package and guiding and tensioning yarn removed from the package, said means comprising, a package holder mounted on the creel and adapted to fit within the package cavity and support it, and a yarn guide tube having an entrance portion and an exit end, the entrance portion of the tube being located coaxially of the package holder, and the tube having a bend therein between the entrance portion and the exit end to form a direction change for yarn drawn through the tube and cause frictional contact of the yarn with the tube at the bend and provide a ten sioning drag on the yarn.

2. A yarn creel having means for holding a yarn package and guiding and tensioning yarn removed from the package as claimed in claim 1, wherein the end of the entrance portion of the tube and the exit end of the tube are both flared outwardly to allow yarn smooth entrance to and exit from the tube.

3. A yarn creel having means for holding a yarn package and guiding and tensioning yarn removed from the package as claimed in claim 2 wherein the entrance portion of the tube is carried by and connected to the package holder.

4. A yarn creel having means for holding a yarn package and guiding and tensioning yarn removed from the package as claimed in claim 3 wherein, the entrance portion of the tube has a telescopically slidable section which is movable to adjust the position of the flared end of the entrance portion of the tube relative to the package holder to adapt the holder and tube to use with different yarn packages of difierent size.

5. A yarn creel having means for holding a yarn package and guiding and tensioning yarn removed from the package as claimed in claim 4 and means to hold the entrance portion of the guide tube in selected positions of adjustment.

6. Apparatus for holding a yarn package during yarn removal and for guiding the removed yarn comprising, a package holder adapted to fit within the center cavity of the yarn package and support the package, and a guide tube having an entrance portion and an exit end, the entrance portion of the guide tube extending coaxially of the package holder and being fixedly connected to the package holder, the entrance portion of the tube having a telescopically slidable section which is movable to adjust the entrance end of the tube relative to the package holder to adjust the holder and tube to use with yarn packages of different sizes, and the entrance end of the telescopically slidable section and the exit end of the guide tube are flared outwardly.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein, there are means to hold the telescoping section of the entrance portion of the guide tube in selected positions of adjustment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/ 1951 Hanse 242-128 4/1955 Roughsedge 28-51 

